Bambi: The Legacy
by Lavenderpaw
Summary: All is well for Bambi and his family in the beginning, but soon new challenges that even the former Great Prince scarcely knew existed threatens Bambi's family. For the young Great Prince learns it's not always the outside threats that affect us the most, but the ones inside our own families. Even when we think the danger is behind us, there's always a new one waiting for us.
1. Baby browns and blues

**I.**

Faline looked upon her healthy brood within the charred bushes and trees in a little open area of land where her mate and his father could view their offspring. She knew there was no jugdement to be passed. Both sibling fawns were alert and unaffected by what Bambi and many others had thought would affect them so - the harrowing fire before their birth.

Bambi, bless him, had found a nice, quaint little spot where he could keep an eye on his family, but also so Faline and her fawns wouldn't have to settle down in some smelly old thicket... or what was left of the straggly brush. It was rumored that there was no longer any suitable place for raising fawns and many mothers had left the forest altogether so as to journey abroad for a new place to call home, even if that meant they'd encounter Man.

Neither parent was willing to take that chance.

"Spitting image of his father." Friend Owl proceeded to say.

Faline was the picture of patience.

"Congradu-,"

"Two of them!" A raccoon mother suddenly proclaimed.

The night bird chuckled. "Yes, sir. I don't think I've ever seen a more likely-looking pair of fawns." Faline still stayed respectfully demure. "Prince Bambi must be mighty proud."

As the doe gazed up lovingly at the chutting rock podium in the distance, she observed that Bambi's father departed with a final look towards his son. The Young Prince didn't take his eyes off of the Great Prince for a few long moments before holding his head up high and proudly. Whatever their long look had meant there was a permanence to it that Faline read instantly. It wasn't hard to read him. His new posture signaled a new status.

Ergo, Faline and her fawns' new status.

"Who's who?" A child asked. The Princess turned to see it was young skunk Bambi.

"Well, let's see now. That one's a boy..." He pointed a feather finger at the right one and debated only a few seconds on the other one, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "Oh! And the one sittin' here on the left, gettin' his ear bitten off, is a girl. A'course. No doubt about it."

"How can you tell?" Bambi ventured.

"Oh, well let's see now... um, well, missie, er uh, sonnie..." He stumbled. The child was wide-eyed and took no offense to his apparent lack of insight on gender. "You see my boy." There were curious looks now; Flower didn't say anything. "A fawn with, um, an eye color of um blue is particularly viewed as a female, whereas a male fawn with what you see here, a kind of a... goldish tinted brown is easily identifible as a princely color."

"Thought you hadn't decided yet on who would rule after Bambi," Flower said.

"Well, the Young Prince a'course." Friend Owl folded his arms. "Right, Mrs. Faline?"

She chuckled softly. "Geno is the blue-eyed one, Gurri is the golden-eyed."

Friend Owl nodded proudly with his eyes closed the entire time she talked.

The doe then proceeded to add, "Geno is a boy, Gurri a girl."

His wings dropped.

"Told ya he didn't know everything." One of Thumper's sons whispered to his siblings.

To be continued...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	2. A boy and his father

**I.**

Over a small hill, a figure appeared that was indeed, small. It was a little fawn. With his ears pricked, Geno moved in long-legged, curious strides down a well worn dirt path. After him a comely pair of doe legs started down the bend followed closely by the younger of the set of fawns. Tawny in color with light gold eyes tinted red, Gurri was reluctant to bring up the rear.

Fearless yet naive, young Geno stopped at a hedge of blossomless tiger lillies to see that tiny drops of water clung to their long-leaved greenery. He moved his tiny black nose to sniff one but a pair of yellow eyes glowing back at him made the fawn stop. Gurri came up beside him.

The two looked at each other and then turned back to see a set of glistening needle fangs.

Gurri ducked, Geno imitated.

Faline suddenly appeared at her daughter's side. "Mama?" she asked, her eyes were wide.

"Dew," the doe answered.

"Dew?" Her son repeated. The pair of fangs from the drooping leaves came closer.

Geno snarled at a hissing badger only to be reprimanded by his mother.

"Geno, no."

"Dew!" He responded loudly.

"No, Geno. No do."

"Dew Mama." Gurri innocently pointed out, indicating the droplets with her nose.

Geno was a little more persistent. "Dew, Mama, dew!"

"Geno, I said 'No.' " She became firmer. " 'No' means no."

He turned back to the badger, who was ready to bite the young deer, and got ready to bite first even if he really didn't know what that was just yet. Faline gently took the tip of his tail and gave her son a quick tug back to escape the nasty badger's teeth. Gurri gasped and cowered behind the doe's legs. Faline turned back to her and gave her a reassuring nuzzle. Once she turned her attention back to Geno, however, she was frightened to discover him missing. Hurriedly Faline coaxed her daughter to her feet and the search for the missing male fawn quickly commenced.

"Geno?" She spoke in a spooked tone. "Geno! Where are you?"

Laughing and giggling the oblivious baby fawn romped forward toward a small stream.

...

Prince Bambi approached one of the streams that was in his line of vision from the look out peak. He walked at a calm but bored pace, there was no hurry to get back and no hurry to drink. The young buck was nearly to the water's edge when he saw two fawns crest the hill opposite him on the other side of the stream. Instantly his ears went up. Faline was walking tranquilly after them just as she always had. She spotted him and smiled. Bambi huffed a tiny sigh and returned to his drinking. One of his fawns had somehow come to stand right where his reflection should have been. He clutched his shoulders back and strained to keep away.

The prince uneasily tried to get his drink on the left side but the fawn simply hopped there to meet him too. Bambi blinked, still unsure, and then went to try to get a drink on his far right. Amazingly the fawn managed to clear five feet and come to stand before him there. A boy or a girl, this little fawn had big, dark blue eyes instead of the clear pale blues that it should have inherited from it's mother. Bambi started stepping over himself walking backwards to avoid the approaching fawn. He looked up in panic at Faline who only watched with proud, intrigued eyes. Finally the smiling fawn had backed it's hapless father up against an old maple.

Then, he stopped. The two deer gazed upon each other for a few moments.

Despite his initial apprehension, Bambi took a step forward.

His son mimicked him.

The two became less like strangers as Bambi and the boy nearly touched noses. A memory suddenly surfaced and he remembered his duties. But more of all, Bambi remembered now what his role was. He remembered what his father had told him. He remembered the way it had always been. The Prince turned away from his son, sadly, and gave him one final glance.

He remembered that this was the way it had to be, always.

Faline and Gurri looked after them. The young doe was deflated, the child was clueless.

Just as Bambi swung his head back around he found himself eye-to-eye with his son. With his inability to walk again, the buck stumbled back on his legs as his son, smiling ear-to-ear, kept walking towards him. His father switched around and was right back to his place at the maple. He then found his rear dropped and his legs coming underneath him as his son came closer. Bambi glanced up at a confident Faline one last time before looking down the fawn.

Now that his father was staying still the boy seemed a little less brave then before and yet still very much occupied with the buck. Bambi leaned in, his son copied him, and then the two were touching noses. The Prince smiled and rubbed his head along the side the boy's face. Naturally he was given a rub back. Faline and Gurri now crossed the stream with the little girl fawn hurrying to meet her father. Bambi caught her delicate forehead gently against his own and gave her a nuzzle. It was then that something long forgotten came and filled his empty heart; love. Loneliness dissolved for the Prince when his mate came up to give him a welcoming nuzzle after weeks of being apart. The father gazed down at his son and daughter with tears nearly coming to his son. How could he have missed this? How could he just leave?

These were his children. _His._

Bambi felt it as he could feel a stormy breeze hit him. An antlered shadow moved through the sectioned darkness under the trees from across the way. His ears went up and he followed his father's watchful movements. Even though he couldn't see the Great Prince's eyes, Bambi knew them by heart. He swallowed hard as he felt his father's gaze pierce through his own and a sort of question stood before Bambi. Whether his father meant to ask it or not, he felt like there was one there. And Bambi, as faltering as he had been before, met the invisible eyes under the cover of trees. He told his father. He never pried his eyes away for how could he? This was his father and these were his children. Faline was his mate and this was their territory for now and forever.

The Great Prince's face dissolved into shadow and so Bambi could not see his head turn.

His son turned away from admiring his father and looked toward the bushes. Bambi flicked his eyes back on him and gave him a warm smile. The fawn returned this before opening his mouth again into a full one. Settling down on his legs, Bambi watched as his son stepped up to his side.

The baby fawn cuddled up to his father and laid his ears back against his head as he rested his little muzzle between his cloven hooves. Bambi's daughter walked up and curled up into a tan ball right next to his chest. The Prince gave her spotted back a lick. He then met Faline's eyes and gave her throat a deep rub of gratitude. The two cuddled for a minute before Bambi was looking back down thankfully upon his young son. He lowered his nose and gave the spotted white and chocolate brown pelt a tender lap. The Prince and Princess then touched foreheads.

There was peace for the moment.

To be continued...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


	3. Strength and honor: Part 1 of 2

**I.**

Mother and Father travelled with their youngsters weaving and bobbing anxiously through their legs. The trail was a familiar one for the parents - narrowed paths widened and scrub started to grow further apart. While the trees still had a way to go growing back their leaves, much of the original ground plants were doing quite well and were bright in jades and dark in pine and holly.

"Let's stay together now," Prince Bambi told them. His voice had deepened just a little.

They started through the last divider of shrubs before they were to enter their wide destination.

"Now let's remember what your father said." Faline reminded her fawns as the two practically disappeared in the thick bushes along with her lower half. "Stay together." She exited the leafy prison and first turned to Gurri on her left side. "Okay, now I want you and your brother to-,"

Her words stopped as soon as her eyes rested on her childless right.

"Geno," she was all but yelling, "_Geno_?" her voice grew a pitch higher, then franctic, "GENO!"

While his mother called for him, the young fawn enjoyed the lay of the land. He romped from tall grass to tall grass. Even at her worriest calls, he was still somehow able to ignore her. The little boy was even getting some enjoyment out of it as he laughed and giggled, seeking out and hiding in thick patches of blades. His fun almost abruptly ended when his father suddenly came to rest in front of his hiding place in one bound. The adult deer surveying the land worried him.

"Geno." he was serious, almost panicked as well, "Geno!" He was gone in another bound.

There was just the remotest feeling of guilt the young child had for disobeying his parents.

He wondered why.

Then, to his eyes amazement, Geno came upon some new fawns nibbling at the tall grass. Though he had never seen any other fawns aside from his own sister and himself, he was automatically unafraid. The sight of these newcomers presented a new challenge for him.

"Hi," He said as he scuttled up to them.

"Hello," a fawn even lighter than his sister said.

"Who are you?" A male one beside her asked. He was a little more wary.

"I'm Geno!" The fawn boasted, raising up his shoulders and moving his head side-to-side as if huge antlers were causing the motion. "So, who are you suppose to be doe? _I'm _a prince."

"I'm not a doe, I'm a deer." His new little rival said tersely.

"My name's Lana," the girl fawn said more eagerly. "This is my brother Boso." Two more litle fawns appeared. "And this is Nello and Membo, they're brothers too." she smiled in welcome.

"Huh? Really? Bet'chu all don't know who my papa is, do you?"

"No," One of the fawn brothers said, confused.

"He's the Great Prince of the Forest!"

"Yeah, well, our father says he's only the Prince." The other fawn brother started in.

"Yeah." His sibling agreed with a smile. "Not a Great one." He meant no harm by his words.

Geno took this innocent joke as a challenge. "Oh! You wanna see how great I am!.?"

He started moving around, his head was down and he was feinting.

"Stop it," Boso chided. "No one's gonna fight you. You ain't even got racks yet."

"My daddy's got racks!"

"Uh-huh. How big?" The bolder of the brothers mocked.

"Well, uh..."

"Is your daddy a great fighter like ours?" The other brother asked.

Geno lowered his head a little more. "No," he said morosely.

"He lose one of his antlers in a brawl against bears?" Boso continued on with the jabs.

"No."

"Well, what _has _he done?"

"I guess, nothin'. I guess he's just a weak deer compared to all them other deers."

"_Deer._" Lana corrected.

"That's what I said, _deer_."

"So your dad's real weak huh?" Nello asked.

"Yep, my dad's a real weakling," Geno conceded.

"Geno."

Five fawns popped their heads up.

"Dad." The suddenly alone child said weakly.

"It's time to go," His father was solemn, moreso than he had ever seen him before.

Bambi marched his son away from the others when the child glanced back.

"Someday I'm gonna have big horns and show_ all _of you!" He whispered feverishly.

"Geno!"

Flattening his ears, the child peered over at his father from a single eye before loping off after him haughtily. When Lana called out to him that they were "_Antlers_" he scrunched his little nose at her and stick out his tongue. Membo and Boso, the bolder of the four, did it right back. Only after Geno turned around did he see that his father had witnessed his repeated disobedience. A flick of his tail and a lift of his nose and the arrogant little fawn trotted off to his mother and sister who were now calmly grazing. Bambi watched him go with concern and issued Geno a warning:

"I never want to see you disobey me or your mother again."

The child peered back at him sweetly, "I'm sorry, Father. Never again," and off he went.

Faline met her mate's eyes and the two shared the same thoughts and feelings.

This could never happen again.

To be continued...

~ Lavenderpaw ~


End file.
